MATCH REPORT

Derek McInnes had indicated that it would be any two from the three non-suspended central defenders for the trip to Palmerston Park this afternoon and in the event he opted for the pairing of Allan McManus and Kevin James – the Saints captain starting his first match since the opening day of the season at the same venue.

Kevin Moon was preferred to Greg Cameron in the middle of the park and the returning Rocco Quinn started the game on the bench.

The home side came into the game with bags of confidence having won five out of their last six league fixtures and they began the match with four former Saints players in the line-up: Ryan McCann, Jamie McQuilken, Steve Tosh and Stephen Dobbie.

The first incident of note in the game was a 6th minute yellow card shown to Robert Harris for a tackle from behind on Andy Jackson but after a quiet opening five minutes or so, the home side started to knock the ball around with the confidence that comes from recent good form and in the 13th minuet they opened the scoring.

Allan McManus missed a header in the middle of the park and that gave Dobbie possession and he found McQuilken who gained a degree of good luck when the ball broke off Gary Irvine and back into his path allowing him a clear run in on goal and he made the most of it with a crisp left foot finish giving Alan Main no chance.

Saints looked to get on level terms quickly and just three minutes after the goal there was a remarkable scramble, sparked by a surging Liam Craig run from the half-way line, which saw Andy Jackson gain possession but see his shot saved and there followed shooting opportunities in rapid succession for Steven Milne, Peter MacDonald and Paul Sheerin but all the efforts were blocked by a resolute home defence.

Within minutes of the goal Peter MacDonald was instructed by the management team to change from the left to the right side of the park.

There was a big decision for referee Stevie O’Reilly to make in 21 minutes and there were few in the Perth ranks who felt he got it right. Steven Milne broke free on goal and has unceremoniously hauled back by Jim Thomson but as Perth supporters contemplated whether a red card was in order (there was no covering defender) the man in the middle took an option virtually nobody in the ground had anticipated and didn’t even award a free kick.

Stephen Dobbie has been a thorn in the flesh of his former McDiarmid Park colleagues since he joined Queens and in 26 minutes he came up with a lengthy run and no little skill before feeding Sean O’Connor but his parting effort went over the bar.

Kevin James was playing like he had never been away and was an absolute tower of strength at the back but he and his colleagues were caught out in 37 minutes when McQuilken lofted a lovely chipped pass to Andy Aitken and the defender’s volley flew across goal, well out of the reach of Main, and Goran Stanic had to turn the ball away for a corner kick.

In the remaining time before the interval, Liam Craig fired in a 30 yard free kick which lacked power and accuracy and there were bookings for Peter MacDonald and Ryan McCann.

Rocco Quinn replaced Kevin Moon at half-time and in the opening minutes of the second half the loan Celt had tested Jamie MacDonald with two long-range efforts. However, before he could influence the game further his side found themselves two goals down.

Peter MacDonald failed to impress referee O’Reilly with an attempt to win a free kick in the middle of the park and that allowed Dobbie to break forward. He found Tosh who in turn placed the ball in front of O’Connor and the big striker’s shot across goal entered the net via the inside of the post.

Within six minutes of the loss of the second goal Steven Milne and Paul Sheerin were sacrificed and replaced by David Weatherston and Greg Cameron and Saints moved to playing three up front with Peter MacDonald now in a central striking role flanked by Jackson and Weatherston but it was Gordon Chisholm’s side who continued to do most of the pushing and O’Connor saw his header from a McQuilken cross drift just wide.

A lucky break of the ball presented Andy Jackson with a goal scoring opportunity but he couldn’t find the net from a tight angle, his follow-up pass to Liam Craig saw the midfielder’s effort cleared off the line and a final parting shot flew off a defender for a corner kick.

However, Jackson was not to be denied his 15th goal of the season in 77 minutes. Goran Stanic found Cameron with a header in the middle of the park and the substitute provided a lovely through ball to Jackson who lofted it over the head of MacDonald and into the net to narrow the deficit.

That goal brought renewed hope for the travelling support as they watched a fifth former Saint – John Stewart - enter the fray for the home side and they roared their encouragement as their side applied some meaningful pressure for virtually the first time in the game.

However, hopes of a similar late equaliser to that experienced on the opening day of the season at the same ground were dashed with four minutes of the match remaining when Queen’s regained their two goal advantage. It was a simple goal with Tosh scampering down the right before firing the ball inside to O’Connor who lashed home his second goal of the game to make it 3-1.

A poor display from the team today and there can be no complaints about the outcome. With Hamilton winning again the gap increases yet further and the chances of any late-season rally seem to be diminishing.

Website Man of the Match: He was suffering from cramp and running on fumes by the end but the returning KEVIN JAMES was head and shoulders above the rest of his team mates in more ways than one today.

SAINTS: Main, Irvine, Stanic, Moon (Quinn), McManus, James, MacDonald, Craig, Jackson, Milne (Weatherston), Sheerin (Cameron).
Subs not used: McCaffrey, Cuthbert

QUEENS: MacDonald, McCann, Harris, McFarlane, Aitken, Thomson, McQuilken, Tosh, O’Connor (O’Neil), Dobbie (Stewart), Burns.
Subs not used: Paton, Campbell, Grindley

Att: 2,229